João Paulo Lima de Oliveira (born 13 July 1981) is a Brazilian professional racing driver currently competing in the Japanese

Super GT Super GT (stylized as SUPER GT) is a grand touring car racing series that began in 1993. Launched as the , generally referred to as either the JGTC or the All Japan Grand Touring Car Championship, the series was renamed to Super GT in 2005. It is ...

series. He won the Super GT GT300 class championship in both

2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global social and economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, worldwide lockdowns and the largest economic recession since the Great Depression in t ...

and

2022 File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretariat; The global monkeypo ...

and the

Formula Nippon The Japanese Super Formula Championship is a formula racing series. It is considered as being the top level of single-seater racing in Japan and regional motorsports in Asia. The series is sanctioned by the Japan Automobile Federation (JAF) a ...

championship in

2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...

. He is regarded as one of the most successful racing drivers to race in Japan in the last decade. JP, as he is known, has won in every category he competed in. After becoming the German F3 champion in 2003 by far, winning 13 out of 16 races, he arrived in Japan in 2004 and took the Japanese F3 title in next year with 7 wins. After that, he joined Nissan as their official factory driver for the next 13 years in Super GT and Super Formula. He is known for his speed and his in-depth ability for car development.

Racing career

Born in

São Paulo São Paulo (, ; Portuguese for ' Saint Paul') is the most populous city in Brazil, and is the capital of the state of São Paulo, the most populous and wealthiest Brazilian state, located in the country's Southeast Region. Listed by the GaW ...

, de Oliveira competed in

kart racing Kart racing or karting is a road racing variant of motorsport with open-wheel, four-wheeled vehicles known as go-karts or shifter karts. They are usually raced on scaled-down circuits, although some professional kart races are also held on fu ...

only in 1997, then he moved on to Brazilian national

Formula Ford Formula Ford, also known as F1600 and Formula F, is an entry-level class of single seater, open-wheel formula racing. The various championships held across the world form an important step for many prospective Formula One drivers. Formula For ...

and Formula Chevrolet championships in 1998. Beginning in 1999, he started competing in

Formula Three Formula Three, also called Formula 3, abbreviated as F3, is a third-tier class of open-wheel formula racing. The various championships held in Europe, Australia, South America and Asia form an important step for many prospective Formula One dri ...

category. He won the 1999 South American Formula Three (Class B), the 2003 German Formula Three, and the 2005 Japanese Formula Three championships. In 2006, de Oliveira debuted in the

with a Hasemi Nissan Z GT500. The Brazilian continued as a Nissan Super GT driver with Kondo (2007-2010, 2017) and

Impul Hoshino Impul Co., Ltd., (known as Impul) is a Japanese automotive aftermarket company based in Setagaya-ku, Tokyo. Founded by Nissan's factory driver, Kazuyoshi Hoshino, the company exclusively produces aftermarket parts for Nissans, such as body ...

(2011-2016). He won two titles, in 2020 and 2022, was runner-up in 2015, and claimed 9 wins and 19 podiums overall. Also in 2006, he entered the last round of the

with 5Zigen. He also drove in Formula Nippon for Kondo in 2007 and 2008. After skipping 2009, he returned in 2010 with Impul. He won one title in 2020, was runner-up in 2014, and won 10 races and earned 23 podiums in the category. He retired from formula racing after the 2016 season. de Oliveira made his

World Touring Car Championship The FIA World Touring Car Championship was an international touring car championship promoted by Eurosport Events and sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). It has had several different incarnations, including a sin ...

debut at the

2009 FIA WTCC Race of Japan The 2009 FIA WTCC Race of Japan (formally the 2009 FIA WTCC Kenwood Race of Japan) was the eleventh round of the 2009 World Touring Car Championship season and the second running of the FIA WTCC Race of Japan. It was held on 1 November 2009 at the ...

for

SUNRED Engineering Sunred (short for ''Sun Race Engineering Development S.L.'') is a Spanish-based auto racing team and constructor. They are best known for competing in the World Touring Car Championship. Racing History While in the past Sunred had participated in ...

. He drove as a wildcard entry in the finale round of the 2019 World Touring Car Cup at Sepang International Circuit in a Honda Civic Type R TCR run by KCMG. He qualified 13th with a time of 2:14.746. In race one, de Oliveira's experience on the track allowed him to finish the race in 5th overall and set the fastest lap of the track, and even assist championship contender Esteban Guerrieri. He dropped to 18th in race two, which was followed by a retirement in race 3 on lap 10 from 25th on the grid. His fifth place is the best position a wildcard driver had in 2019.

Racing record

Career summary

^† As de Oliveira was a guest driver, he was ineligible for points. As de Oliveira was a wildcard entry in the WTCR, he was not eligible for points. ^* Season still in progress. ‡ Team standings.

Complete Super Formula results

( key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)

Complete Super GT results

( key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap) ^‡ Half points awarded as less than 75% of race distance was completed. ^* Season still in progress.

Complete World Touring Car Championship results

( key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)

American open–wheel racing results

( key)

IndyCar Series

Complete World Touring Car Cup results

( key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap) ^‡ As de Oliveira was a Wildcard entry, he was ineligible to score points.

References

External links

Career statistics from Driver Database

João Paulo de Oliveira on Twitter
{{DEFAULTSORT:Oliveira, Joao Paulo De Living people Brazilian racing drivers 1981 births Formula Nippon drivers Formula 3 Sudamericana drivers German Formula Three Championship drivers British Formula Three Championship drivers Japanese Formula 3 Championship drivers Super GT drivers Brazilian World Touring Car Championship drivers Brazilian World Touring Car Cup drivers IndyCar Series drivers Super Formula drivers Stock Car Brasil drivers Racing drivers from São Paulo Austrian Formula Three Championship drivers Kolles Racing drivers Alan Docking Racing drivers TOM'S drivers Kondō Racing drivers KCMG drivers Nismo drivers Conquest Racing drivers Nürburgring 24 Hours drivers